HardWired II

**Flag Captured** · 24th April 2014, 00:11

So, I've been planning out the non-competitive disposable machines a little today, and I've got two planned (well, it's just two shells around the same set of electronics, dependent on how they last)

The acryllic version of HardWired's going to get glued up again to take on a few spinners at the next RoboChallenge event, but that won't be for ages yet so there's no rush!

The other machine/shell, made out of balsa wood (kind of want to call it Balsa Steel) will be just going to general events, probably going to make the internal structure of that shell a little more sturdy (but still out of wood) to stand up to things internally, and preserve the parts a little so I can reuse it and whatnot. It'll get absolutely battered on the outside though, which will be utterly hilarious.

Only reason I'm running these is because the drill motors I have are flat out wrecked, and are barely usable by all standards - they'll move something but definitely not a competitive machine, so instead of just chucking them away or letting them sit unused, I might as well put them in something for a laugh! It was the intention to take them down to the champs with the acrylic machine anyway, they sound like blenders and really aren't in a good way at all so what a sendoff for them!

HardWired II is coming along nicely in terms of upgrades too, me and Mario have been discussing it and it'll be a much stronger machine next year from the sounds of things!
HardWired III however... it's not really going anywhere at the minute, it's basically hinging on how HardWired II does post-upgrades, to see what sort of tech and ideas I can reuse in it. Still got a disc, and it'll still be a fast rambot on top of that (basically a 2WD Rango) but just the entire design could change pretty radically, but I'll get the sketches of that posted when I have a working computer again. I want to try and get the raw power of Combustion or Inertia XL out of it, with the (theoretical) drive power of HardWired II Evolution (post-upgrade HW2 I'm referring to as Evolution) which I know will be difficult but where there's a will, there's a way! HW2 pulled off 7mm hardox in a machine that was only 9.3 kg, so I'll still be able to add, say a 2.5kg disc, mounts and motor all in the weight limit still. If the upgrades work out well for HW2, I'll have an awful lot of push behind that disc too, so I'll be able to get some very nice engagements, but it's still debatable as to whether it'll be done for next year's champs, but it's a possibility - even if it's just as a whiteboard only machine until the year after.

And as for HardWired I, the one I'm converting to a flipper for my friend - I'm still on the hunt for suitable budget parts, looks like it can be done (I think full pressure could be done super-budget too but I don't want to push my luck) but I'm still looking for now. Just making sure everything would comply by the rules, and would be safe because I know how dangerous high-pressure pneumatics can be...

**mrsam** · 24th April 2014, 11:12

Lot's of work for you over the next year or so then! As for the acrylic and wood machines i'll gladly stick both Hatchet's in with them as a kind of tag team fight, i imagine that would look fairly spectacular

**Flag Captured** · 24th April 2014, 12:06

It is! I've got a year though so it'll all be fine, the two cannon fodder machines are a day's job, it's just glueing bits of it together and putting a little bit of paint on it. You're more than welcome to have a crack at at! Haz wants to let massacre have a go too, which would be rather hilarious, I think. Well, less so for whoever cleans up the arena afterwards haha

The rest of the machines will be tough work but HardWired I already has electronics made up, HardWired II just needs electrical upgrades and some extra stuff so HardWired III will really be the only machine I build entirely from scratch this year so it's not quite as difficult!

**Flag Captured** · 26th April 2014, 23:02

It turns out that yesterday was precisely a year since I finished my first 'combat ready' machine (HardWired I, the huge aluminium box thing) and just look how far it's come in a year!

Would just like to say a huge thanks to absolutely everyone who's helped out, I really appreciate it all and it's allowed me to finally take part in combat robotics, which is something I've been wanting to do since I was 2 which is awesome, frankly! Aside from that, it's actually tempted me to switch into doing engineering at university. Not entirely sure yet, going to see how I do with my media course first (and when I inevitably fail) but that's something!

Onto the updates (or lack of, as is always the case) I've been looking at some ideas as to what I can do with HardWired III, I'm still looking at a spinning disc, but I'm not sure how to design it - I'd like something small-ish in diameter with high KE, so definitely single tooth. Part of me wants to have it some crazy thickness so it'll be quite heavy, but I'm not entirely sure.
Basic plan is to essentially have it the same design as HardWired II with some dimension changes, so it handles a disc better and works around a bulkhead construction. Unlike HardWired II though, I'm going to make this machine (as far as I can) on my own, purely as a technical exercise to try and boost my own skills - not that I don't want to work with anyone on robots, just if I can drop myself in at the deep end, I'll be able to fix my machines instead of looking at it with a cup of tea in my hand saying "it's broke tha' 'as". I know the basics already, but it can't harm!

Not sure what to go for yet though, I want to have it built for next year's champs (probably be a whiteboard machine, depending on how things go) but the materials I'd need would be quite expensive I'm led to believe, and if they're not then the cutting for them will be - primarily, the bulkheads I'm on about. Kinda want to use Alumec or something for it, but I think that's quite expensive. Same could be said of the original plan, which was to use 15mm-ish Hardox. Hardox solves all the problems.

Definitely going to use some kind of non-magnetic steel for the base though, since I'm going to be using magnets to compliment the brushless drive I'm planning to use. Take Rango and 540, mix it with a little bit of Inertia XL and that's kind of the idea I'm going for. I do have some sketches on my old laptop, but that's dead.

Problem I'm going to have is it self-righting and also fitting everything in the machine, so again there will be some Cad-ing to be done if I can learn how to CAD properly! I'll probably keep HardWired III at 6-7mm ish Hardox but only in key places (around the motors etc) so that they don't get damaged, other than that it'll be 3mm and HDPE. Basically building on HardWired II's strengths, in other words. H2 will remain just a pushy box of death though, and I intend to make it super reliable, or at least as much as I can!

**razerdave** · 27th April 2014, 12:08

Non magnetic steel. That'll be stainless steel.

**Flag Captured** · 27th April 2014, 13:07

Is stainless the only one that's non-magnetic? Plan was to use stainless, or something a little bit stronger if I can find anything better. Not entirely sure I will though...

**maddox10** · 27th April 2014, 14:17

Most common types of stainless are non magnetic.
Most high strength steels, low or high alloy, are magnetic.

There are non magnetic high strength alloys, but I fear those have special pricetags too. No, for magnet bearing parts, the thinner the gap between the floor of the arena and the magnet, the better.
Any non magnetic material is fine for the job.Polycarbonate, HDPE, ali, Ti, brass and so on.

Point is, normal stainless is perfectly weldable to hardox.
That is why the bottoms of Satanix's wedges are made from 1mm stainless, with magnets cast in epoxy to get the result.